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This is a story about Birgit, a six year old sweet kiddo. She’s been diagnosed with diabetes about a year ago. Incurable. This story is about how, through her, I myself am being confronted with the fact that her illness is much more of an issue to me than it is to her. She taught me a lesson there… The things that are on top of a kid’s list, should in fact be on top of anyone’s list:
Life is about playing with friends and family and having fun as much as you possibly can…
These intimate, close images, are freeze-frames out of her daily life. Random. Lots of different moments. Almost no visual context. Bare essentials. More about feeling the moment than looking at the moment.
There is no beginning and no end. A collection without order. You’ll recognise inside, outside, darkness, light, a bike, a bed or even a beach. But they are all irrelevant…
Just try to hear the laughter, hear the playing… Remember your own childhood… Feel like you’re there up close with her, her brother and her sister. Sometimes she will notice you and say hi. Sometimes she will play and laugh with you until her stomach aches. Sometimes you feel like you need to let her be, dreaming.
She stares into the sea.
—
anton kusters, december 21, 2008
Samuel, we discovered we could not use copyrighted music without permission. For most of us this was too high a hurdle to jump, so, for now, our essays are silent.
Patricia
wow..
more comments to respond to..
My feeling, after just completing a 10 year project,
is you KNOW when it is done…
If you don’t KNOW it, or feel it,
chances are, your story is not complete…
You know in your gut,
when the story is done…
no more images to tell…
perhaps for some,
the story is never finished..
you will always take the photographs…
But there does come a time,
when you focus on another subject and you grow from your previous story…
Certainly there are things you would change with your 1st project,
but that , in my opinion,
is growth as a photographer….
and how we learn,
to tell a better story…
**
i have type one diabetes. i’ve never been so proud to say it. thank you for what you’ve created. it’s a breath of fresh air.
shannon
thank you for your message… Birgit’s case is particularly taxing for her and her surroundings, as due to her young age, her pancreas sometimes still kicks in… this makes measuring her blood sugar levels to determine her insuline amount quite difficult.
so in a weird way, and this may sound strange, we are all hoping that soon her pancreas will fail entirely, so that at least she can do away with the constant blood checks and have some saner schedule for administering insuline
on a side note: i am leaving for NYC today to meet with a publisher… i’m hoping things will work out in some way. keeping my fingers crossed :-)
thanks,
anton
ANTON
This is exciting news! Will be holding you in good publishing energy! I know “Sugar” is going to be a book because I “see” it in my mind’s eye…just like I “saw” Obama as president months before the election. I’m a little bit pschic, you know ;+0
love
Patricia
misspelling…”psychic”
P
Joe
I’ve just read this for the first time. I have to agree with Anton, what a marvelous critique, and what right on suggestions. Damn I wish I were half as insightful.
Rock on
G. Lafleur